gaffney@iconn.net read my stories (Thanks) and bothered to
write:
<Snip!>
Winter; Spring; Summer; Autumn
all by Joseph Palmer
I like the titles for what they say, but they are
bad for a technical reason. I used to have filters set
so that each occurance of Winter, Spring, Summer, or
Autumn would mark that message as perhaps mentioning
my stories. Bad idea. Ranma falls into a "Spring" in
tons of stories, and Winter and Summer end up in lotts
of SPAM for some unknown reason. I'll pick more
distinctive names for future stories.
A lot of people argue over which is the best Ranma fanfic;
which is the funniest, and which is the most romantic. But
there can be no argument about which series is the *mellowest*
in Ranma fanfiction. The so-low-key-it's-comatose romantic
stories in Joseph Palmer's seasons tetralogy.
Ouch. "so-low-key-it's-comatose"
Ruthless. Ruthless but fair.
I've received about 20 Email comments on the stories,
a few from people whe were really touched by them.
I feel really good that the stories made some people
that happy, if only for a while. (It wasn't me really,
it was Ranma and Akane who made them happy.)
These stories appear to take place in an alternate universe
where Ranma and Akane have been to their therapists. :-)
Harumph.
It's just me talking, but I'd much rather see them
in therapy, rather than putting one or the other in
a coma, or worse.
Or, maybe I'm just older and I am remaking Ranma
and Akane with the benefit of living what would be
to them another life time, plus another 6 years of
being married.
(You know, Ranma and Akane in therapy might make a
great FF. Not my style, though.)
Seriously, these fanfics are an excuse to have Ranma and Akane
become involved in serious discussions about the world and
their place in it.
No excuses.
I was also interested in exploring what it would
be like to be actualy there, in the Tendou home.
(Or at the beach.) Great writing tool that, put youself
somewhere and turn on all your senses. Crawl into the
character and feel the emotions.
And, in that respect, they succeed completely. Never have
Ranma and Akane been sweeter than in these fanfics.
Thanks. "Kawaii, isn't she." --Ranmas school buddys
In Winter,
we see them taking a bath together in the dark (!) watching
the snow drift down. In Spring, it's a rooftop scene, looking
at the sunset. Summer has a sake sequence at the Tendo beach
house, and Autumn has the emotional wrap-up, and Ranma and
Autumn was written between the time I read in the
RanmaML that Ranma was moving back home with his mother,
and the time that I actualy saw it in the Manga.
I thought their feelings about being split up would make
for good content in the story.
I have another story in mind that uses those feelings.
Just try to Imagine how Ranma feels about going back to
visit the Tendou home now that he's not staying there,
but he will one day own it after he marries Akane.
Kind of a stranger but not quite...
Anyone want to see that one? Should I add some Lemon?
Akane's first *real* kiss.
I tried to make it as real as I could.
I wasn't so sure about putting that in at first, In a way
I'd hoped that Rumiko would do it first in some spectacular
fasion. Now that the series is over (Without a Rumiko kiss)
I'm glad I put the kiss in my story.
Autumn in particular is typical of its season, as Akane and
Ranma talk about their families, and Akane remembers how hard
it was when her mother died. Scenes such as these make it
easy to see why this was voted the best of 95.
I just (metaphoricaly) shined a light on Akane and
went digging around in the shadows that were cast
to see what might have made her the way she is.
No, there's no martial arts wackiness, no fiancees put in an
appearance, and there's only one kawaiikune in the whole
series. But if you can put up with a freaky Akane who doesn't
overreact to every little thing, and a totally weird Ranma
who actually cares about her feelings, then this is the best
possible choice for you. Ah, romance!
I've seen the _whole_ Anime series 3 times now, and I've
collected all the Manga. Later in the series it seems
like Ranma and Akane are pretty settled in, and things
just happened to them. This is the Ranma that I like best,
the caracter designs are better and the stories are more
humor and romance than fighting.
--j
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Joseph Palmer Please send BeBox mail to jpalmer@be.com
Director of Hardware Engineering http://www.be.com - comp.sys.be - #BeBox
Be, Incorporated. "Hey Akane, could you hand me that hammer?"
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